Laboratory Test
Laboratory Test Unnecessary Ordering Continues to be an Issue Unnecessary testing wastes money and can lead to further testing. Why does it occur? Almost 60% of medical personnel surveyed at a large academic medical center believed that hospitalized patients should have daily laboratory testing. Of 1580 attending physicians, fellows, residents, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses […]
Statin Continuation
Statin Continuation after an Adverse Event Study results indicate that the benefits of statin therapy appear to outweigh the risks among high-risk patients. These agents should be continued even in the face of an adverse reaction in this patient population. Statins are among the most widely studied, successful medications in the treatment and prevention of […]
Can We Grow New Brain Cells?
Can we, as adults, grow new neurons? Neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret says that we can, and she offers research and practical advice on how we can help our brains better perform neurogenesis—improving mood, increasing memory formation and preventing the decline associated with aging along the way.
What Keeps Physicians Up at Night?
Patient Issues It’s no surprise that many factors occupying physicians’ minds throughout the night are related to their patients. Some patients may be suffering from unexpected complications from surgery and require additional treatment. Others may be experiencing adverse effects from prescribed treatment or aren’t responding to their treatments and require additional research into the underlying […]
Could Molecular Switches Stop Brain Cancer?
It might be possible to change the course of glioblastoma, a very aggressive brain cancer, by manipulating small molecules that switch genes on and off inside cells. This was the conclusion of a study in which researchers in the United Kingdom and India manipulated gene-regulating molecules known as microRNAs (miRNAs) in “human glioblastoma cells.” In […]
Over-Testing In The ICU
Over-Testing in the ICU The United States spends close to $3.5 trillion on health care each year, with an estimated $200 billion spent on excessive treatment and testing. Intensive care units (ICUs) constitute about 28% of charges for acute hospital care and more than 1% of the gross domestic product, making them an ideal starting […]
Factors influencing decision to perform Cesarean Section
Fear of litigation and perceived safety concerns and are among the key factors influencing the decision to perform a cesarean section, according to a major international literature review conducted by researchers at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin. The rising rate of cesarean sections (CS) worldwide, despite the considerable evidence that vaginal […]
Cancer: ‘Intelligent drug delivery’ is on its way
New research paves the way for the delivery of anticancer drugs into tumors with a level of precision never seen before. The new “intelligent drug delivery” system uses a nanocapsule that will only discharge its drug load when it encounters two tumor signals in the correct sequence. A “proof-of-principle” paper — now published in the journal Chemical Science — describes how […]